A Walk in the Woods
by Tricia
Summary: Selphie spends the night in the woods with Carbuncle to protect her... and recieves shocking news from Matron and Cid.. explains a little bit more about the gang's relationships with each other in the game.. and they're soo cute! So R&R Please! Thanks!
1. A Walk in the Woods

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters/storyline of FF8; it all belongs to Squaresoft. I am in no way making money off of this story, and being that it was made completely for the pleasure of the author and the readers, it can be distributed freely or posted on websites (as long as I am notified) and there is no marketing or selling. Etc. You get the point.  
  
Selphie crouched in the deep underbrush, holding the nunchucks in a ready position, the gf carbuncle in her lap. It had been three hours since she had come into the forest, and so far she had been lucky enough to avoid any monsters or animals.   
  
I cant beweive I did this! Oooh, its sooo dark and cweepy in here… I hope no monster guys get me. But I've got you Cawbuncle. You'll protect me, wont you?  
  
She grasped the silver orb in her small hands and felt it glow slightly with warmth, and a quiet purring sound emitted from the orb. Selphie giggled as the orb began to shake in her hands, as if being tickled. Suddenly, a loud roar slip the air, followed by a crash and several thuds, each one getting louder and closer to where Selphie knelt.  
  
Oh no oh no I've got to get out of here!  
  
Selphie jumped to her feet, shoving the orb into the pocket of her tightly knit trousers and ran through the thick underbrush, ducking the various branches and wincing as leaves and twigs snapped in her face. She could hear the creature crunching through the underbrush after her, its jaws snapping in the air as if in anticipation of a new meal. Suddenly the beast crashed into her back, and Selphie found her face pressed into the soft earth, a heavy weight on her back, its horrid breath breathing heavily near her head as it sniffed her hair.  
  
Selphie screamed at the top of her lungs, frantically trying to tear herself out from under the beast. Suddenly she realized that the guardian force orb was pressed painfully into her thigh, and wrenched her body far enough to grasp the orb and pull it free of her pockets.  
  
"Carbuncle!" She yelled as she held the orb in both hands. It glowed a bright silver for a minute, then she vanished from beneath the heavy beast, leaving it dazed as it realized that its prey had escaped. It watched in wonderment as a hole appeared in the ground just a few feet in front of it, and a strange creature popped its head out shyly. The creature hopped out of its hole and leaped into the air, strangely levitating for a moment and emanating a luminous glow on the beast. The monster screeched loudly in terror and ran off into the underbrush it had come from, loudly snorting in panic the whole way.  
Selphie rematerialized on the ground, gasping as she realized what she had done.  
  
What have I done..? Matwon always said never to play with her "toys". She said we're not old enough.. ooh Im gonna be in big twouble!!!  
  
Selphie sat back on her heels, exhausted, and patted the silver orb appreciatively. It made another purring noise, sounding content to have been able to help, and Selphie couldn't but smile, though she was aching and weary to the bone. The orb glowed brightly, then began pulsating. Selphie set it down on the ground in front of her, then laid back onto the soft moss, yawning loudly.  
  
"Thank you Carbuncle." Selphie said sleepily, then sighed as she pulled more of the comfortable moss in under her head to make a pillow.  
  
Whoo… that was soo scary… but if Matwon ever finds out… The rest of Selphie's thoughts were lost as she drifted off into peaceful sleep.  
  
Meanwhile…  
  
"This way, Cid! I've found her!" Edea called back to her husband, then rushed ahead to kneel in front of Selphie. She held her breath as she checked for a pulse, and exhaled heavily when Selphie's eyes snapped open at her touch.  
  
Her eyes widened as she saw Matron kneeling in front of her and sat up quickly. She looked from side to side, then managed to open her eyes wider when she Cid and Irvine, who had insisted repeatedly on coming along burst into the clearing behind them.  
  
"Are you alright Selphie?" Matron asked quietly, relieved to see that she was relatively safe. Suddenly her eyes fell on the gf orb, and it was her turn to express the buggy eyed look.   
  
What is she doing with Carbuncle? Oh Hyne…what if she used it? The consequences…  
  
"I'm okay… I guess… but Matwon? What am I doing out hewe?" Selphie looked around again, her confused look taking in her surroundings. Matron drew in a breath quickly, and felt the ice wrapping around her heart.  
  
She used it… please Hyne do not rob this sweet innocent child of her memories…  
  
"Its okay Selphie. We were just out walking and you happened to get lost.. but everything's okay now sweety. Why don't we go home?" She asked gently, then helped Selphie to her feet. She quickly retrieved the orb from the ground and slipped it into a pocket, then turned back to Cid and Irvine.  
  
"Well… I think it is about time for us to be going home now…"   
  
Later that night…  
  
After repeatedly reassuring Irvine that she was completely alright, he had finally stopped asking and aloud her to get out of the bed he had forced her to rest in.   
  
"Why'd you leave, Sephie? You didn't have to take Seifer's dare… you know he's just a big meany." Selphie looked quizzically at him, her brows drawn together.  
  
"What dare? I don't wemember any dare.." Selphie said slowly, her voice full of confusion. Irvine eyed her strangely for a moment, then slowly moved closer to her, his eyes full of concern.   
  
"Selphie, are you sure you're okay..?" Selphie opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted as Cid and Matron suddenly began arguing loudly about something in the other room.  
  
"Cid, you cant just separate her from the other children like that! I told you already.. to wait until we find a family willing to adopt all of them. By Hyne, I know that they don't get along half the time, but Cid, they're children! They might not seem like it, but they're all best friends! They'll be traumatized if they're separated!" Matron's voice rose in volume throughout the speech, and she breathed in deeply to calm herself.  
  
Irvine and Selphie looked at each other for a moment, then moved closer to the closed door and pressed their ears to its cool wood, their curiously boiling in their small bodies. They listened as Cid let out a heavy sigh, and there was a rustling of clothe as he moved across the room to gently hug his distressed wife.  
  
"Matron.. I love those children as if they were my own… but it is only the best for them to move out. And with an offer such as this, from a nice family living so close to Trabia Garden.. it is only the best for her. The other children will understand. Besides, I have been communicating with a family that wants to adopt Quistis, as well as being halfway through the adopting process with Mrs. Dnicht."  
  
Matron sighed again, a pained sound of sadness and surrender, and Selphie gasped as she realized who they had been talking about. She looked at Irvine, alarmed, and saw that he had the exact same expression of shock and fear on his face. Finally they heard Matron's comforting voice seep through the door again.  
  
"Very well. I suppose it is the best for them. I just cant help but wonder… what they'll be like when they grow up, or if they'll remember each other.. or me. I can just imagine Seifer and Squall dueling together in some academy or Selphie and Irvine going on adventures together." They heard soft laughter from the couple, followed by soft footsteps.   
  
Irvine and Selphie quickly scrambled away from the door and grabbed a few toys from the floor and sat down in the corner, just in time to watch Matron and Cid enter the room. The couple looked at the pair suspisciously for a moment, then smiled gently.  
  
"Selphie, may I speak to you for a moment alone? From girl to girl?" Matron asked gently, taking the small girl by the hand. She gave Cid one of those "adult looks" that Zell and Irvine would sometimes try to figure out together, and Cid came over to Irvine and promptly began telling him a tale about a lost warrior of the centra, softening the story to the point where it sounded as if the warrior was actually fighting plants instead of monsters. Matron led Selphie back into the room she and Cid had just left and sat down in the plush leather chair that Selphie and the other children had gotten in trouble for sitting on plenty of times.  
  
"Selphie, Im afraid I have some.. news. We found a family that wants to adopt you. A very loving family.. a very nice mother to sing to you at night, a father to tuck you in to bed, even a cute little dog for you to play with! And you know what's best?" Although Selphie now had a terrified look on her face after receiving the horrible news, Matron leaned forward, a devious look on her face.  
  
"What?" Selphie asked timidly, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.  
  
"You can name the dog anything you want. Poo Poo the Pup, Rocky The Cow, Rainbow Bubbles with Sprinkles on Top…" Despite herself, Selphie giggled a little, and found some of the raw terror drain from her body.  
  
"I… what about Irvy an Quisty an Squalwy an Seify an Zelwy?" She asked, the words coming out in a whoosh of breath. Matron winced, then smiled gently.  
  
"They're going to stay here sweetheart, until we can find families to take care of them too. It'll be okay.. they'll be okay…" She drew back as Selphie suddenly started screaming, her small voice at a squeaky high pitch.  
  
"No! I don't wanna leave! No no no no no! Im stayin here! I don't want a new family.. I wanna stay here… with Irvy and Quisty and Squalwy and Zelwe and Seify.." Her voice trailed off and her screams subsided to mere trickles of tears and sniffles. Matron leaned forward and hugged her, rubbing her small back soothingly.  
  
"Shh.. It'll be ok, Selphie, I promise. You'll go to Trabia and you'll meet all kinds of new friends, and you'll get a new family who'll love you, and maybe you'll even learn how to use those nunchucks you have." Matron smiled as Selphie's eyes widened largely.  
  
"How'd you know about them?" Selphie asked incredously. Matron laughed slightly, then covered her smile with a hand.  
  
"Well my dear, I have my ways… don't worry, you're not in trouble." Selphie exhaled audibly, obviously relieved.  
  
"Well, Im gonna get some real nunchucks. Big ones, not just these little plastic fakies.. big ones so I can beat people up.." Matron looked at her sternly, and Selphie gulped.  
  
"Just remember that weapons are only supposed to be used in self defence. And before you even use them for that, you must learn how to use them properly, or you might hurt yourself or someone else accidentily." Matron scolded her, then lowered her tone a bit.  
  
"I know how you must feel Selphie. This must be very confusing to you. But don't worry. You're new family is very loving, and Im sure that they'll take very good care of you."  
  
"Okay…" Selphie said, her tone and face downcast.  
  
"Cheer up kiddo. Soon you're going to be the proud owner of Poo Poo Rocky Bubbles with Sprinkles on Top Cow." Selphie giggled, and burst into laughter as Matron began tickling her, all of her pain soon forgotten..  
  
Authors Note: Chapter 3 soon to come! Next up is Selphie's departure from the Orphanage.. sooo sad! They're just soo cute! Well, please review! Thanks! 


	2. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the FF8 characters/storyline, it all belongs to Squaresoft, I am in no way making any kind of profit off of this story. Do not post this story anywhere without this disclaimer and/or my permission. Yatta Yatta etc etc.  
  
Selphie walked slowly out of Matron's office and found Irvine waiting for her just outside the room. He seemed to be deep in thought, his expression a mix of sadness and fear. Selphie lightly tapped his shoulder, and he snapped out of his almost trance and turned to her, his face briefly registering shock.  
  
"Oh! Geez Sephie, don't do that to me!" Irvine grinned broudly and laughed, but suddenly his face darkened again and the laughter died off quickly. Selphie studied his face carefully for a moment, then the relization dawned on her.  
  
He heard! That little sneak! He knows he can get in twouble for listening in on Matron's conversations, especially when she's in her office…!!! He knows! He knows that I'm… that I'm… leaving…  
  
Selphie gasped as the full shock of the recent announcement of her imminent departure settled on her, and she held back a sob, settling for merely sniffling. Irvine put an arm around her shoulder and gave her a long hug, holding her tightly.  
  
"I don't want you to leave Sephie… its soo not fair…" Selphie realized that she was crying and her tears were beginning to soak the shoulder of Irvine's cowboy style trenchcoat. She didn't care though, and returned the hug even more tightly.  
  
"I don't wanna go, Irvy. I wanna stay here… with you… and… I don't wanna new family. I like the one I got here. But, but, you know Matwon wont let me stay. She says I gotto go, that I'll like my new famiwy and living with them. But, but Im going to miss you so much…"  
  
Suddenly Cid entered the room, and Irvine and Selphie pulled away from each other quickly, trying to mask the fact that they had been crying. Cid looked at them sadly for a moment and shook his head, then came over to them and kneeled on the floor in front of them.  
  
"Oh you poor children.. Selphie, your new family is very nice. Do you know what Mrs. Tilmett does for a living? She cooks. And you know what that means? More cookies for children who behave well." He smiled and tousled her hair playfully, then grinned at Irvine, who couldn't help but giggle at Selphie's pained expression, though it was clear that this type of play was a joke between Cid and Selphie.  
  
"But I don't wanna leave.. I wanna stay here…" Irvine took hold of Selphie's hand protectively, and saw Squall and Quistis enter the room behind Cid.   
  
"Why does she have to leave?? She didn't do anything wrong…" Squall demanded, his voice full of more emotion and conviction that it had held in a long time. Selphie and Irvine looked at him for a moment, shocked at this sudden twist of events, then waited to see Cid's reaction. He merely sighed and shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"Because there is a family that wants to adopt her, a very nice family who will love her and take care of her more than we can here."   
  
Seifer and Zell suddenly appeared behind Squall and Quistis, and Selphie suddenly found herself the attention of five young children and one elderly clueless man.  
  
"Please let her stay." Zell said, looking as if he were about to start pouting. Though Seifer glared daggers at the spunky boy for a moment, he nodded in agreement.  
  
"Please?" Irvine and Selphie said at the same time. Cid sighed loudly, then looked around at the gathered group of young friends. He shook his head once again, and Selphie's spirits instantly dropped to the floor.  
  
"I'm sorry. There is nothing that I can do about it. It is already done." He gave them one last look, then knocked softly on Matron's door before entering her office and closing the door behind him.  
  
"Its no fair!" Selphie screamed, losing her self control. The other children looked at her in shock for a moment, then she calmed herself and resolved to crying yet again.  
  
"Sephie.." Irvine said, then trailed off as he and the rest of the group of children joined in for a group hug that he hoped would last forever.  
  
Authors Note: It didn't end in " … " ! Well, the next part should be out soon… don't get all worked up about this story, remember, the FF8 all used to be friends, at least to some extent. Anywayz, please review! I really need it because I have no idea what to write in the next part other than Selphie's departure from the orphanage. Thanks!  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Default Chapter Title

Selphie sat in the corner of her room, clutching her teddy bear tightly to her chest, her tears soaking the old fluffy cotton. She hadn't really understood what it meant when Matron had first told her that she had been adopted, but as they began packing up her meager belongings for the long trip to Trabia, the full force of what was happening hit her young mind all at once.  
  
She had run, screaming, from the courtyard where Matron and Edea had been greeting her new "parents", and locked the door to the room she normally shared with Quistis behind her. She closed her eyes tightly as she head Matron and Cid calling after her, and knocking on the door, telling her in gentle voices that everything would be allright and that her new parents were here to take her to her new home. But Selphie new better than that. She knew that she wouldn't ever see her friends again.   
  
So she had sat stubbornly in the corner, crying into her teddy bear for the last hour as the gentle encouraging continued to pour into her room from the adults on the other side of the door.  
  
"Yoo understand, don't yoo Mr. Teddy?" She asked her bear between bouts of sniffles and sobs. She stroked the soft cotton for on its face lovingly, then patted it on the head.  
  
"Of course yoo do. Yoo always understand." She hugged her teddy bear tight, tears still streaming out of her eyes, then stopped suddenly when a new voice that she new very well came from the other side of the door.  
  
"Sephy? Sephy come on yoo gotta come out. Yoo got new parents here who are weally weally nice. I… I don't want yoo to leave either, but still… their soo nice.. and…" Irvine's voice trailed off, and Selphie could here his quiet sobs and sniffles joining hers.   
  
Reluctantly, she stood up, still holding her bear, and unlocked the door. To her surprise, all of the children of the orphanage were standing there, each of them with tears in their eyes, even Squall, with Cid and Matron trying to keep the tears in check with multiple hankies. Selphie scooted out into the hall and closed the door behind her, startling the children and the couple, who immediately turned their attention to her.   
  
"Do.. do I really hafta go? Cant I stay awhile longer?" Selphie asked, her voice quivering with her very last ounce of hope. Matron and Cid looked at eachother for a moment, a great sadness in their eyes, but each nodded slowly. Matron kneeled down in front of her and wiped the tears from her eyes.  
  
"Hush little one. Do not cry. You will be in a happier place, with parents who love you and care for you… and of course you'll have Mr. Teddy to protect you. And.. Im sure we can manage to bring these little devils up with us to visit you once in a while." Matron said, smiling as best she could, though she was hiding her own sadness at having to yet again entrust one of the younglings she had raised as her own to an adopting family.  
  
"I.. I guess.. as long as they get to visit…" Selphie said, fear making her voice sound small and afraid. Matron smiled, looking relieved that Selphie had accepted the situation, and stood up, offering her hand to Selphie.  
  
"Well, how about we go meet your new parents? They've even brought your new puppy with them so you could play with her the whole way there…"  
  
Author's Note: How did you like it? More to come. I think Im going to write at least one more chapter about Selphie's trip to her new home and settling in there. Well, to write more, I need reviews, so be a pal and review my story. Thanks!  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I dont own Final Fantasy VIII or any of the related characters and storyline, blah blah blah. It all belongs to Square. So dont sue me. This is just something I do to please the masses (grin) (yeah right) :P  
  
Selphie watched their faces fade through the window of the car, and sobbed silently, pressing her face against the window, trying to burn the images of her friends into her mind so that she would remember them forever. Cid looked back at her through the mirror, and shook his head slowly. He had seen so many children pass through his beloved's orphanage. All of them orphans, who would find comfort and friendship with the other children, and would inevitably be torn apart and thrown into a new family. He hoped that someday in the future, once the first Garden had been built he might be able to send some of those children to train to become SeeDs, or Instructors just so that they might be allowed to stay together.  
  
It was heartwrenching for him to have to listen to the girl's quiet sobs in the back seat of the car. This was not the first time he had been made to drive a child to their new home and family. Somehow Edea always managed to con him into doing it, claiming that if she left him with the kids alone that she would come back and find him tied up with half the house on fire.  
  
Thats not so far from the truth... Cid thought to himself, restraining from laughing in the delicate situation. The trainstation came into view, and when he pulled up into the lot, he sat their in silence for a moment before finally addressing the child.  
  
"Selphie.. we're here. You're going to meet your new family. Isnt that exciting?" He asked quietly, trying to sound as if he wished he were going with her. She just shook her head angrily, sniffling quietly until the last of her tears had faded away.  
  
"No its not! I dont wanna go! I wanna stay home!" She shouted suddenly, tears streaming down her small face. Cid shook his head slightly. This happened every time, and his soft old heart could barely take it, not after having helped take care of these innocent souls for so long.  
  
"Selphie, the Orphanage isnt your home. You're going to go to a real house, with your own room, and your own little brother to play with. You'll be able to make new friends, and go to school... why, I wish I were coming with you!" He said, smiling softly, though he felt no happiness. She had her arms crossed defiantly, even as the tears ran down her face, but she finally just sagged her shoulders and gave in.  
  
"You pwomise?" She said softly, unexpectantly loud in the silence of the small car. Cid looked at her, not understanding the question.  
  
"Promise what sweetie?" He asked as gently as he could.  
  
"Pwomise that I'll make new fwiends." She said, looking at him with eyes that seemed to beg him to make everything allright.   
  
"Yes Selphie. I promise that you'll make new friends." He said slowly, almost reverently. Finally she nodded and opened the car door, grabbing her small pink bagand stepping out into the damp air of the trainstation. People clustered around, waiting for the next train to Trabia to arrive. Cid stepped out into the fresh air and opened the trunk, taking her other bag from it and retrieving the small bag that held the gift that everyone had painstakingly put together.  
  
"I have something for you." He said softly. She turned around, her eyes lighting up for the first time at the idea of a present. He kneeled down in front of her and slowly pulled the stuffed teddy bear from the bag.  
  
"We know that you already have a stuffed bear, but this one is kindof like a memory bear. Whenever your scared you can just talk to Mr. Bear and remember that you have a whole lot of friends. And look... everyone added something to Mr. Bear that was special to them."  
  
She had to laugh at the bears strange appearance. Its eyes consisted of two blue beads from Qusitis '  
favorite necklace, the nose was a rusty old coin with a zig-zag pattern on it that Zell had always loved and played with constantly, the mouth consisted of several small embedded fake bullets that were Irvine's forte, and the bear was wearing two small chain necklaces, one from Squall and one from Seifer. And of course Edea had been the one to stitch it all together.  
  
Selphie's eyes misted, and she hugged the bear tightly, then did the same to Cid.  
  
"Thank you. Tell them that I'll never fowget them." Finally she turned towards the train, where her new parents stood waiting for her, with large and welcoming smiles on their faces.  
  
They came over and took her other suitcase for her, then introduced her to her new baby brother.  
  
"Have you ever been on a train sweetie?" Her new mother asked. Selphie shook her head, looking at the big monster that they claimed was a train. She saw Cid standing near the car, watching them, and giggled.  
  
"Noo... but Uncle Cid says that their always too noisy and espensife." She said, reciting the line that she often heard "Uncle Cid" mutter under his breath when he thought no one was around.  
  
"Oh does he?" She glanced back at him and smiled, then winked. "Well their really not that scary. I know that they look big and scary, but... well, here's something that always makes me feel better. I'm going to teach you a song that my mother taught me as soon as we get to our rooms, okay?"  
  
She smiled down at Selphie, and Selphie found that she had actually lost alot of the sadness she had felt. Clutching Mr. Bear tightly, she waved goodbye to Cid and boarded the train and followed her new mother and father to their room. Once they were settled, she sat with her new mother near a window.  
  
"Now... the song goes something like this..." She cleared her throat and began singing in a beautiful voice and Selphie listened intently, committing the words to her memory.  
  
"Train-train-take-me-away, take-me-away-to-a-better-day...."   
  
Authors Note: Remember Mr.Bear and the song she sings every time she gets on a train? Well I thought it was a pretty good ending. Well I think its the end... anywayz, how'd ya like it? Please review and tell me what you thought. Thanks! :)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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